Mobile Technology

Google has been showing off the next version of Android at its Google I/O conference in San Francisco. It doesn't have an official name yet – it's still called Android M Developer Preview – but we've got our first glimpse at some of the features arriving in the mobile OS in the near future.

This simple device solves one of the iPhone's most annoying usability issues – the fact that you've got to reach all the way up to the top left corner to go back in most menus. The Halo Back is effectively a screen protector for your iPhone that adds a back button just beside your home button, and it's already been funded more than six times over on Kickstarter.

Following the much-hyped iOS launch back in March, Twitter's live broadcasting app Periscope has now landed on Android. Unveiled on Tuesday, the app carries the same functionality as its iOS sibling, but with a few minor differences unique to the Android platform.

Scientists have already devised systems that allow electronic devices to
scavenge power from ambient electromagnetic energy sources such as radio waves. While the technology has generally been limited to small devices such as wireless sensors,
a research team has recently created a scavenging system that charges a
smartphone's battery, letting it last up to 30 percent longer per
charge – and the system does so using radio signals emanating from the
phone itself.

Microsoft has announced that it intends to bring Cortana to iOS and Android devices later this year. Up until now the digital assistant app has been restricted to Windows Phone devices, but, as we already knew, it will also be extending its reach across desktops and laptops when Windows 10 launches to the public in the next few months.

Devices like Smart Kapp and Livescribe's extensive line of clever pens are just some of the ways you can stream your scribbles to digital displays in real time. The thing is, though, they also require that you to write on certain purpose-built materials like whiteboards, dotted paper or even microwaveable notebooks. Looking to break free of these limitations is Israeli startup OTM Technologies – its Phree Bluetooth smartpen shoots a laser beam from its tip to allow you to write on just about any surface you like.